The Nyesom Wike-backed faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has explained why it did not resume activities at the party’s national secretariat on Monday, attributing the absence to ongoing administrative and security procedures linked to the reopening of the facility.
The faction, operating under the National Caretaker Committee, dismissed reports suggesting that the police denied it access to the secretariat, insisting that law enforcement authorities are still concluding internal processes before reopening the premises.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, the National Publicity Secretary of the National Caretaker Committee, Jungudo Mohammed, said claims that the police turned down their request were inaccurate.
“I am not aware that the police declined our request, and I do not believe that is true. The police are the appropriate authority to confirm why the secretariat has not yet been opened, and we cannot force them,” Mohammed said.
According to him, the delay is procedural rather than political.
“They are still carrying out their administrative and security processes before taking final action. However, we are certain that the secretariat will be reopened,” he added.
Mohammed noted that the police were under a legal obligation to reopen the facility, stressing that the issues that led to its closure had already been resolved by the court.
“The police must open the secretariat because they are required to comply with the court order. The closure resulted from disagreements within the party over who constitutes the genuine leadership, but that matter has already been settled by the court,” he said.
“Therefore, the police are expected to reopen the secretariat to allow for the lawful activities and business of the political party.”
He further reiterated that no request from the faction had been rejected by the police.
“It is not true that the police declined our request; what we know is that they intend to reopen it once their internal processes are concluded,” Mohammed said.
Addressing the possibility of further delays, Mohammed said the faction would continue to engage security agencies peacefully and within the law.
“We are law-abiding people and leaders, and we will continue to engage the police respectfully to understand any delays and address any concerns they may have,” he said.
“We will not resort to violence or unlawful actions. The police are a law-enforcement agency and must comply with court orders, and we are confident it will not escalate to any conflict.”
While he did not give a specific timeline for reopening the Wadata Plaza secretariat, Mohammed expressed optimism that activities would soon resume.
“What we know for certain is that the secretariat will be reopened for party activities. The exact date for reopening is not yet known because administrative processes sometimes face delays, even after tentative timelines are given,” he said.
“Nonetheless, once those processes are completed soon, we remain optimistic that the secretariat will be reopened.”
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